Why do some consumers dislike xanthan gum in their products?

1. Why is this in my food?

“Xanthan” is not a an easily-understood ingredient such as: cane sugar, water, salt, cocoa powder, etc.

2. I don’t like the way it sounds.

“Xanthan” is not easy to pronounce and according to consumers it sounds very chemical.

3. I don’t like the way it looks.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen consumer pushback with food and beverage products that have an ingredient list containing an ingredient that has an “x” in the name [think: consumer dislike of maltodextrin].

Xanthan gum is a familiar ingredient, here’s why

Nevertheless, xanthan is still a familiar ingredient. Xanthan gum is one of the few hydrocolloids that actually can be found at premium, organic retail grocery stores and in kitchen cupboards of the everyday cook. i.e. “Yeah, mom had a bag of xanthan in her pantry.”